purchase

1 of 2

verb

pur·​chase ˈpər-chəs How to pronounce purchase (audio)
purchased; purchasing

transitive verb

1
a
: to obtain by paying money or its equivalent : buy
b
: to acquire (real estate) by means other than descent
c
: to obtain by labor, danger, or sacrifice
d
archaic : gain, acquire
2
: to constitute the means for buying
Our dollars purchase less each year.

intransitive verb

: to purchase something
purchasable adjective
purchaser noun

purchase

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act or instance of purchasing
2
: something obtained especially for a price in money or its equivalent
3
a(1)
: an advantage (such as a firm hold or position) used in applying one's power
clutching the steering wheel for more purchaseBarry Crump
(2)
: a means of exerting power
b(1)
: a mechanical hold or advantage applied to the raising or moving of heavy bodies
(2)
: an apparatus or device by which advantage is gained

Examples of purchase in a Sentence

Verb He purchased a new suit for a hundred dollars. I need to purchase a new heavy coat. Noun The CD player is guaranteed for one year from the date of purchase. The car was an expensive purchase. He displayed his recent purchases with pride. The ice made it impossible for the car's wheels to gain a purchase on the road. The surface was so slick that the wheels couldn't gain purchase.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The Highlands home has been a royal haven since 1852, when it was officially purchased by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, for £32,000, which equates to £3.7 million today ($4.7 million), according to the Bank of England calculator. Armani Syed, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024 The arms that are trafficked to Haiti are often purchased by straw purchasers in states such as Florida with permissive gun laws and large Haitian communities. Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024 Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024 Before the murders, the state said, Calloway and Clark purchased gloves, hats and camouflage outfits at a flea market and scoped out the apartment. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024 The largest Powerball jackpot – and the largest US lottery prize – ever won was $2.04 billion by a ticket purchased in California in November 2022, according to the lottery. Dalia Faheid, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024 Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include: A 2,476-square-foot home on the 20400 block of Glen Brae Drive in Saratoga sold in July 2023, for $4,105,000, a price per square foot of $1,658. Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024 Travelers must purchase their airfare by 8:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, to secure tickets at the promotional price, the release stated. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024 Recreational cannabis consumers can purchase up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis at a time, with no more than 15 grams of concentrate, a super-potent mass made by distilling down desirable parts of the cannabis plant. Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
Czech President Petr Pavel has put together a ‘shell coalition’ that is trying to fund the purchase of nearly a million shells held in non-Western countries. Tim Lister, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024 Our staff and testers A beauty product is a personal purchase. Macaela MacKenzie, Allure, 5 Apr. 2024 This research group, begun in May 2012 (the same month that Google’s $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobile became official), shares the high ambitions of its parent company’s own long-term research group, Google X. Steven Levy, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024 After all, it’s been more than a decade since former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos famously overpromised and under-delivered a flock of high-speed delivery drones jetting out all your Prime purchases in a Jetson-like whir of efficiency. Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024 Online shopping: Non-members can look at items offered online but can’t make purchases. Martha Quillin, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024 Discover may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Luke Knapp, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024 Most folks are yet to be sold on alternative models to in-app purchases and advertising, like Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass. Simon Hill, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2024 Children under 10 get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purchase.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English purchacen, from Anglo-French purchacer to strive for, obtain, from por-, pur- thoroughly, to a conclusion (from Latin pro- forward, for) + chacer to pursue, chase — more at pro-

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1d

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of purchase was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near purchase

Cite this Entry

“Purchase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purchase. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

purchase

1 of 2 verb
pur·​chase ˈpər-chəs How to pronounce purchase (audio)
purchased; purchasing
: to get by paying money for : buy
purchase a house
purchasable adjective
purchaser noun

purchase

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of purchasing
2
: something purchased
3
: a secure hold, grasp, or place to stand
could not get a purchase on the ledge

Legal Definition

purchase

1 of 2 verb
pur·​chase
purchased; purchasing

transitive verb

1
: to acquire (real property) by means other than descent or inheritance
2
: to obtain by paying money or giving other valuable consideration
specifically : to take (property) by a voluntary transaction (as a sale, mortgage, pledge, lien, or gift) that creates an interest and that is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code see also bona fide purchaser

intransitive verb

: to purchase something
purchasable adjective
purchaser noun

purchase

2 of 2 noun
: an act or instance of purchasing: as
a
: the acquiring of real property by any means other than descent or inheritance
b
: the acquiring of an interest in property especially in exchange for valuable consideration see also word of purchase

More from Merriam-Webster on purchase

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